BY GCWALISILE MHLABANE
EZULWINI– Every household, business and public facility in Eswatini is set to receive a recognised address as the country rolls out the Eswatini National Addressing Standard (SZNS ISO 19160), a landmark initiative expected to transform service delivery, strengthen the digital economy and improve access to essential services.
The new system is set to change how locations are identified across the Kingdom by introducing a structured national addressing framework that caters for both rural and urban communities. It will replace reliance on informal directions based on landmarks and verbal descriptions, ensuring that people, businesses and institutions can be easily located.
The official launch took place on July 16, 2026, at the Happy Valley Hotel in Ezulwini, where the Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology and the Eswatini Standards Authority (ESWASA), officially introduced the new standard.
The initiative is expected to support various sectors, including emergency response, postal services, logistics, e-commerce, investment, utilities and government planning, by providing a reliable and recognised way of identifying locations.
The National Addressing Standard is based on ISO 19160-1:2015, which provides a conceptual model for address information, including address lifecycle, metadata and address aliases. The framework creates a common representation of addresses that allows different systems to share information while enabling Eswatini to develop an addressing solution that responds to its unique geographical and settlement patterns.
Speaking during the launch, ESCCOM Director of Economics and Market Development Lwazi Maziya, representing the Chief Executive, said the establishment of a formalised addressing system was a significant achievement for the country.
“We are delighted that Eswatini has reached this important milestone of establishing a formalised addressing system,” said Maziya.
He commended the technical committee for its dedication and commitment in developing and gazetting the standards, saying their work ensured that international frameworks were adapted to suit Eswatini’s realities.
“The commitment and hard work of the technical team has enabled us to develop a standard that responds to the realities and needs of our country,” he said.
One of the key strengths of the new standard is its ability to address the unique nature of rural settlements in Eswatini, where many communities consist of dispersed homesteads rather than organised street networks.
The addressing model recognises existing community structures familiar to emaSwati, including Region, Inkhundla, Umphakatsi, Sigodzi and homestead, ensuring that rural communities are included in the national addressing system
Through this approach, each homestead will receive a unique identifier within its sigodzi, making it easier for emergency services, government departments, businesses and other service providers to locate households.
The system is expected to address challenges caused by unsigned roads, unmarked land parcels and the absence of formal rural addressing, improving access to services for communities across the country.
In urban areas, the standard will provide a structured approach for addressing streets, buildings and complexes. It will support approved street names, municipal and private town boundaries, as well as unique building, plot and service-point identifiers.
For offices, shopping centres, flats and estates, additional address details such as blocks, floors, wings, units and rooms can be included to ensure accurate identification of specific locations.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development Apollo Maphalala described the new addressing system as a major milestone that will contribute towards sustainable planning and housing development.
“For too long, we have managed with informal and inconsistent ways of describing locations using landmarks and verbal directions,” said Maphalala.
He said the new system would ensure that every home, business and public facility has a recognised identity, improving property management, infrastructure planning and emergency response.
“These standards are far more than technical tools; they are a foundation for effective physical planning, sustainable housing development and the orderly growth of towns across Eswatini,” he said.
ESWASA Executive Director Ncamiso Mhlanga said the authority played an important role in transforming the global ISO framework into a national standard suitable for Eswatini.
“The new system will help streamline property identification, resolve address conflicts and establish clear naming structures across both rural and urban areas,” said Mhlanga.
He said ESWASA remains committed to supporting standards that improve quality systems and contribute to national development.
Minister of Information, Communications and Technology Savannah Maziya said the National Addressing Standard demonstrates the importance of implementing projects that deliver meaningful benefits to emaSwati.
She said the initiative would contribute towards job creation, economic development and improved service delivery, particularly for vulnerable communities.
“We are here to empower, we are here to give dignity, but we are also here to have empathy,” said Maziya.
She encouraged stakeholders to maintain momentum and ensure that implementation moves swiftly so that citizens can begin benefiting from the new system.
“Let’s make sure that we are always delivering for the people, that we are always ahead of the game, that we are really working as one government. But most importantly, quick execution now. This is such a great opportunity for our country,” she said.
Maziya added that the new addressing system would create opportunities for businesses by improving accessibility and making it easier for customers and service providers to locate enterprises.
“This is so important for businesses, to be able for people to reach businesses,” she said.
Following the launch, implementation work will continue, including strengthening data quality and postal interoperability through ISO 19160 Parts 3 and 4.
The next phase will focus on developing national implementation guidelines, confirming data management structures, conducting field pilots in urban, rural and informal areas, and establishing training and review mechanisms.
Once fully implemented, the National Addressing Standard is expected to improve postal and courier delivery, emergency response, utilities management, infrastructure planning, e-commerce, digital identity and government service delivery.
The initiative marks another significant milestone in Eswatini’s digital transformation journey, laying the foundation for a more connected, efficient and inclusive economy.
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